Teach with Tech

The Digital Summit by Ditch that Textbook is an annual, free, online conference for educators with a focus on educational technology. This year's summit runs from December 15 through January 11 with nine great speakers- one new video interview will be posted per day. Register Today!

Educators, mark your calendars and register for our upcoming EdTech Summit on February 17! This one-day event features hands-on workshop exploring the design program Canva and several Generative AI tools. Don’t miss this opportunity to spark innovation and enhance your teaching with the latest in educational technology. Registration is now open- Register here!

Canva had their fall Keynote and released several great new features. One very useful improvement is their use of Generative AI in design- especially with slides. Previously it wasn't worth the effort to use AI to design slides- they were minimal, simplistic, and didn't contain enough substance to be useful. However, with the new and improved AI Design integration- you "chat" with the AI to create a comprehensive and detailed presentation that is also appealingly designed.

Here is an example for a lesson on theme for seventh grade students:

• Initial Prompt: design a presentation to introduce the concept of theme to seventh grade students.
• refine the prompt based on the outline that AI Design gave me: use this definition and the characteristics:
• a theme is the central, underlying message or insight about life that a text conveys. It goes beyond the plot to explore universal human experiences, ideas, or concepts, often revealed through the characters' development, conflicts, and resolutions. Unlike a topic, which is a single word like "love," the theme is a complete sentence that makes a statement about that topic, such as "True love requires sacrifice".
• Key characteristics of theme
• It's a universal message: A theme applies to people beyond the story and the specific time it was written.
• It is not the plot: The plot is what happens in the story; the theme is the message or meaning behind it.
• It's a statement, not a topic: A theme is a complete sentence that makes a claim about a subject (e.g., "Justice is not always served").
• It requires evidence: A theme must be supported by textual evidence from the story.

Check out the Canva Presentation on this topic (I left it unedited so you could see what the program produces). It's not perfect, but both the design and content have potential and make this update worth exploring.

Do it yourself:

• From the Canva homepage click on the Canva AI button and select Design, then select type (presentation), audience, style, and length.

For help or more resources check out: https://www.canva.com/create/ai-presentations/

In mid-November, OpenAI unveiled a major update for schools: a free education-specific version of ChatGPT Pro, now available to teachers and staff. Educators can sign up using their school or work email address and, in some cases, may need to upload a document verifying employment. Once approved, users receive full access to the premium education plan at no cost through June 2027—a move that dramatically expands access to advanced AI tools in classrooms.

For some districts, Single Sign-On (SSO) through Google may not work during registration. If this happens, educators can still join by selecting the email sign-up option, entering their school email, and creating a password. This alternative login method allows access to ChatGPT without connecting to Google services. An educator account can also link to a current account (if you already have one).

What Is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a generative artificial intelligence tool designed to understand and produce human-like text. Users can ask questions, brainstorm ideas, analyze information, and generate customized resources in seconds. The education-focused version tailors these capabilities for teaching and learning.

What Can ChatGPT Do for Teachers?

Educators are beginning to rely on ChatGPT to:

• Create lesson plans, rubrics, and assessments aligned to standards

• Differentiate instruction by adapting content for multilingual learners, special education students, or varying grade levels

• Generate classroom materials, including anchor charts, examples, quizzes, and parent communication templates

• Support professional tasks such as drafting emails, refining presentations, or analyzing data

• Enhance student engagement through creative writing prompts, discussion questions, or personalized feedback

Importantly, OpenAI emphasizes data privacy for educators. Anything shared with ChatGPT for Teachers—such as planning documents or student-related materials—is not used to train AI models. But as always- best practice is to never disclose personal information or input private student information into AI models.

Join us for a yearlong series of virtual Tech Talks focused on how AI is reshaping teaching and learning. Explore practical tools, ethical considerations, and classroom-ready ideas with fellow educators.

Goals
🔹 Build AI literacy for teachers and leaders
🔹 Explore ethical, student-centered applications of AI
🔹 Connect and collaborate in a growing AI-focused educator network

Monthly Tech Talks

Tech Talks will run from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. Register for each Tech Talk on the IMESD Events Calendar. Each month is linked to it's specific registration page.

• December 9: AI for Teacher Workload: Communication, Admin Tasks, and More
• January 13: AI for Feedback & Grading — and the Ethics Behind It
• February 10: AI & Writing: From Brainstorming to Revision
• March 10: AI for Visual Learning
• April 14: AI as a Thinking Partner – Using AI to Spark Deeper Inquiry
• May 12: Future-Proofing: Where AI is Headed — and How Educators Can Prepare

November's Tech Talk focused on utilizing AI to differentiate to meet the needs of all students.

• Slides
• Video Recording of Tech Talk

This is a monthly newsletter from the School Improvement Department of the InterMountain Education Service District. If you would like more information on EdTech tools, resources, or training, please contact:

Ayla Olson

Instructional Coach

Email: ayla.olson@imesd.k12.or.us

Phone: 541-966-4657

Website: sites.google.com/imesdapps.org/instructional-coaching